October Highlights. Clovelly Lectures "Smart People have too much Power" - Understanding Political disaffection in the West'' with speaker David Goodhart

Clovelly Lectures have been held annually since 2011 both in Clovelly and in London. These Lectures have become an established event in the calendar for individuals wishing to hear first-hand from those who influence our lives and world affairs.

The next Clovelly Lecture will be on the theme "Smart People have too much Power"- "Democracy in Crisis - Understanding Political disaffection in the West'' with Speaker, David Goodhart on the 12th October

David Goodhart is a journalist. He founded Prospect, a British current affairs magazine in 1995 and was the editor until 2010, when he became editor-at-large. In December 2011, he was appointed Director of the London-based think tank Demos. As of 2017, he is Head of the Demography, Immigration and Integration Unit at the think tank Policy Exchange. He was a correspondent for the Financial Times for 12 years; for part of the period he was stationed in Germany. He has written for The Times, The Independent and The Guardian, he has presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4's Analysis programme on immigration and on Blue Labour. He has written of the influence on his thinking of people like Maurice Glasman, who coined the term "Blue Labour."

Publications:
The Road to Somewhere: The Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics (2017). Goodhart identifies the value divisions in British society that help to explain the Brexit vote and the rise of populism.
The British Dream: Successes and Failures of Post-war Immigration (2013). Runner up for the Orwell book prize.

Goodhart is one of seven children born to Valerie Forbes Winant (the niece of John Gilbert Winant) and Conservative MP Sir Philip Goodhart. He is a great-great-grandson of Mayer Lehman, co-founder of Lehman Brothers. He was educated at Eton College, and the University of York, where he gained a degree in History and Politics. He has written of being an "old Etonian Marxist" in his late teens and early twenties.

CLOVELLY LECTURES
Chairman: Sir Michael Burton K.C.V.O., C.M.G.
Director: The Honourable Mrs. Rous
RECEPTION-LECTURE-DEBATE-DINNER
Saturday 12th October 2019

Speaker:  David Goodhart

For tickets and further information please contact:
Clovellylectures11@gmail.com
or
Tel: 01237 431200
www.clovellylectures.com
Clovelly Visitor Centre, near Bideford, Devon
EX39 5TA

Time to celebrate local wildlife at Bat Festival with the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project.

This September people from North Devon are being invited to celebrate some very special local wildlife at one of 25 ‘Bat Festival’ events being held across the county.

The Festival, which is now in its fourth year, is organised by the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project, which is led by the charity Devon Wildlife Trust. Two North Devon events are being planned. Both are ‘bat walks’ where people can discover the secret lives of these fascinating mammals. Both take place in Braunton, the first on Thursday 12 September at 7.30pm; the second on Thursday 19 September at 7pm. Both leave on foot from Braunton’s Countryside Centre. They are free to attend.

The Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project, which has been running since 2015, is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Working alongside local farmers, the community and other countryside organisations, the project is securing a future for what is one of Devon’s most endangered animals.

Ruth Testa, Project Manager of the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project, said:

“We want to welcome as many local people as possible to our fourth and biggest ever Bat Festival! Devon is an vital refuge for the greater horseshoe bat. About a third of the UK’s population of this special mammal live here, making the county a real stronghold for them. The Bat Festival is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn about and celebrate local bats. The help of local communities to protect greater horseshoe bats is more important than it has ever been as the species has declined by more than 90% in the last 100 years.”

North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is helping the project run its Bat Festival events. Dave Edgcombe is the AONB’s Project Officer and said:

“We are delighted with the exciting bat events that are being staged across Devon with the project’s partners. The Bat Festival gives everyone an opportunity to find out more about the secret lives of bats. Here in North Devon there are 2 bat detecting walks in Braunton – do join us for some bat spotting!"

Full details about all 25 of the Bat Festival’s events can be found at www.devonbatproject.org/events

Greater Horseshoe Bat - Photo copyright Mike Symes

Heanton Nursing Home to celebrate Aviation Day with ex RAF Engineer, Albert (Bob) Hobson

The 19th August is Aviation Day which celebrates the development of powered flight. The 19th was chosen as it was Orville Wright's birthday, who famously went on to fly the first aeroplane with his brother in 1903, so although Aviation Day is an American observance, it is of interest to aviation fans from across the globe.

One of those global fans is 90-year-old, Albert (Bob) Hobson, who spent much of his life in the RAF. He now lives at Heanton Nursing Home, near Barnstaple and they are helping him to celebrate his interest in avionics. He has lived at the home since the summer of 2015 and it is remarkable to think that Albert was born just 26 years after the Wright brothers’ historical first flight.

Albert joined the RAF as an engineer in the 1940s. He met his wife, Doris, in Newcastle when she was over on holiday from Ireland and they fell in love. When Albert’s job took him out to the Far East, she flew out to join him in on an RAF base in Singapore where they were married in 1952.

She said that she had grown up in Ireland, so moving to Singapore was a huge change for her. She went on to say that Albert had wanted to be an engineer from an early age and was always great at fixing anything around their home. In Singapore they lived in quarters at RAF Changi and Albert loved his work. It was an exciting time to be an engineer as the RAF were changing from having propeller driven aircraft to newer, jet powered aircraft.

Doris said Singapore was a wonderful place to live and she has many happy memories from their time there. Albert worked for the RAF for his whole career and it took him to other parts of the Far East as well as Aden and Germany, before Doris and he eventually settled down in Devon.

Heanton Nursing Home was recently rated as “outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission and Doris lives nearby. The Home cares for 52 “family members” who are each at the centre of every decision made. The care team make detailed notes about each family member’s life history as it is only by knowing their likes, dislikes and interests that they can truly offer the best person-centred care.

Sixty-seven years after getting married, Albert now lives with dementia, and Doris visits him in the home every week and says the Heanton care team are excellent and she really appreciates everything they do for him. (Jerry Short care writer)

Ex RAF Engineer, 90-year-old, Albert (Bob) Hobson will be celebrating Aviation Day with the help of  Heanton Nursing Home.
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ABOUT: Heanton Nursing Home is registered for all care categories and stands in the peaceful village of Heanton Punchardon in the heart of Devon. The home is set in grounds overlooking the estuary, with views of the surrounding countryside. The approach of the team at Heanton is person-centred and they uphold high standards in privacy, dignity, independence and choice.

Heanton Nursing Home has recently been rated Outstanding by CQC - September 2018.

The care categories that we specialise in are - Alzheimer's • Asperger Syndrome • Bipolar/Manic Depression • Cancer Care • Challenging Behaviour • Colitis & Crohn's Disease • Down Syndrome • Epilepsy • Hearing Impairment • Huntington's Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Orthopaedic • Parkinson's Disease • Schizophrenia • Speech Impairment • Stroke • Visual Impairment.'

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Heanton Nursing Home, Heanton, Barnstaple EX31 4DJ - Tel: 01271 813744

 Website - Facebook

Liz Shakespeare Reviews 'A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood' by Allan Boxall

The publication of a new book set in Devon is always good news, but the publication of one as captivating as A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood is a cause for celebration. There are few authors who know rural Devon well enough to write about it convincingly but Allan Boxall, now in his early eighties, knows it well and worked on A Breath of Moonscent for almost twenty years before he ventured to publish it. His hard work has paid off. The book describes the area in intimate and affectionate detail and will delight anyone who loves the Devon countryside and its people.

Allan Boxall moved to North Devon with his parents during the Second World War, when he was four years old. It was a wonderful childhood, Allan was free to roam the countryside and he soon made friends, acquiring a Devon accent along the way. He attended school in Dolton and then Torrington, and worked on a farm for eighteen months before eventually leaving Devon to join the Navy.

A Breath of Moonscent focusses on an area of North Devon that has been lovingly documented before. The Dolton area was the subject of much work by the eminent photographer James Ravilious, who created an invaluable record of rural life when he worked for the Beaford Photographic Archive. The aim of the project was to capture the very special and individual nature of North Devon just as it was starting to change. Allan Boxall’s written account depicts the same area at an earlier time, before change was envisaged, and he portrays in words what Ravilious achieved in images.

This is not a romanticised account of rural life. There are hardships, there are deaths, there are regrets, but the author shows that these events are part of the natural cycle of life. Reading his portrayals of the people of Dolton, one feels one has known them personally – or, at least, seen a Ravilious photograph of them:

‘Tom Baker was a tough old fellow, gnarled and stringy as a war-scarred tomcat, a face weather-beaten and ravaged by seventy years of sun, rain, and biting winds, pocked by the savage stings of angry wasps which had attacked him when he accidently hacked into their nest whilst paring a hedge, mean and short-tempered through decades of failed harvests which he remembered more than the successful ones.’

Some of the people Boxall writes about were indeed photographed by Ravilious in later years including one of Ravilious’s favourite subjects, Archie Parkhouse, who is as familiar from Boxall’s description as he is in the photographs.

Until comparatively recent times, life in North Devon was dominated by the seasons and the weather, because most people either worked on the land, or walked or cycled along miles of narrow lanes to reach school or work. Boxall recalls in loving detail the skeletal woods and barren fields of winter, the magical return of spring when ‘Snowdrops lined the brook like a carpet of green-tinted snow’, the summer hedgerows ‘awash with summer seas of umbellifers and red campion; honey bees and bumble bees, wood wasps and butterflies; a kaleidoscope of pastel colours shimmering and swaying,’ and autumn, ‘with the beech leaves golden, the oak secreting fawn-brown acorns neat in their pitted cups.’

Alongside the lyrical descriptions of landscape, there are many amusing stories. The account of moving house, - when a steep, stony lane had to be descended with a china cabinet, Calor gas stove and other household bits and pieces piled high on a cart drawn by an excitable horse - is likely to make the reader laugh out loud.

A Breath of Moonscent takes us back to a magical era in North Devon, when life was hard but the rewards were great; when there was no roar of distant traffic, when the stars were brighter, and the silence was disturbed only by the hoot of an owl or the bark of a fox.

Devon Author Allan Boxall

A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood by Allan Boxall

Archie Parkhouse. Photograph by James Ravilious for the Beaford Archive  © Beaford Arts
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A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood by Allan Boxall

Published by Blue Poppy Publishing

Available from www.bluepoppypublishing.co.uk or from bookshops.
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Liz Shakespeare is the author of five books set in Devon. 
Tap here to visit Liz Shakespeare's website
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About Beaford Arts "The Beaford Archive is an extraordinary collection of material about North Devon dating back to 1890. It is best known for its photographs by James Ravilious, for whom the Archive was his life’s work, and it was one of the first commissions taken on by Roger Deakins, now an Oscar-winning cinematographer." 
Tap this link to visit "HERE: Uncovering North Devon" 

Signs of Summer. Join local Devon Author, Liz Shakespeare, at local events around the Southwest.

Readers who enjoy books with local settings will have the opportunity to buy signed copies this summer. Liz Shakespeare has become well-known as an author who brings to life the people, history and landscapes of Devon, and she has a busy summer ahead visiting many South-West events.

Liz said ‘My most recent book, The Postman Poet, tells the story of Devon’s own Edward Capern and I am particularly looking forward to telling readers about him this year, which marks the two hundredth anniversary of his birth.’

 

Liz has a long Devon ancestry which she feels has given her a good understanding of Devon and its people. The Postman Poet will be featured at the Dartmoor Folk Festival on August 10th when Liz will be joining with musicians Nick Wyke and Becki Driscoll to celebrate the life and songs of Devon’s Postman Poet.

Historical research was also the inspiration for her previous books, The Turning of the Tide, a true story of a young Clovelly mother confined in Bideford Workhouse, Fever: A Story from a Devon Churchyard, and The Memory Be Green: An Oral History of a Devon Village. All Around The Year, is a collection of twelve poignant stories, deeply rooted in the Devon countryside, and each linked to a month of the year from January through to December.

Liz will be signing copies of all her books at:

• Launceston Show on July 25th
• In the Magpie Marquee at the Mid-Devon Show on July 27th
• Woolsery Show on July 29th
• Clovelly Maritime Festival on August 3rd
• In the Crafts and Gifts Marquee at the North Devon Show on August 7th
• Okehampton Show on August 8th
• Dartmoor Folk Festival on August 10th and 11th
• Chagford Show on August 15th
• RHS Garden Rosemoor on August 16th and 17th
• Holsworthy Show on August 22nd
• Lustleigh Village Show on August 26th
• Clovelly Crab and Lobster Festival on September 1st

Liz’s books can also be ordered post-free from her website www.lizshakespeare.co.uk 

 

SAVE THE DATE. The Northam Care Trust's Annual Summer Fete Saturday 13th July

The Northam Care Trust (formerly Northam Lodge) will be holding their annual Summer Fete on Saturday 13th July from 12pm to 4pm in the grounds of the Rose Hill Activity Centre, Heywood Road, Bideford EX39 3PG.

There will be stalls to browse, fun and games for all ages, pillow bash, classic cars and a fire engine. Satisfy your appetite with hot dogs, an ice cream parlour and our own delicious cake stall. Entertainment will be provided by the Dance Fit Belly Dancers, the Atlantic Racquet Centre will be holding a tennis demo, and Moo Music will be providing moosical and sensory fun for all ages.

Fundraising is essential for us at The Northam Care Trust. This year all money raised at the Fete will go towards the sensory developments of our external garden areas to improve access for our clients. Please SAVE THE DATE and come along for a fun afternoon and support your local Charity.

at www.northamcaretrust.co.uk.
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ABOUT NORTHAM CARE TRUST

The Northam Care Trust is a charity formed as Northam Lodge in 1978 and our mission is to support people with learning and physical disabilities in having choice and control in achieving the best possible quality of life, evidenced by real quality outcomes and supported by our passion for excellence. They are based in Northam and Bideford in North Devon and have developed person centred support for people with profound and multiple learning and other disabilities and complex needs in residential and day activities. Excellent communication, respect, dignity, engagement, support for carers and a set of values and behaviours underpin our work and add value with personalisation at the core. They are the only organisation in North Devon and North Cornwall providing this high care specialist service and are a vital resource for families and carers whose relatives live in our accommodation or use our community support facilities including the range of day activities we offer at Rose Hill. Tap here to find out more about the Northam Care Trust Past and Present

Celebrate the Summer Solstice Cruise on the MS Oldenburg with Northam Care Trust and the Smokey Mountain Boys.

The Northam Care Trust (formerly Northam Lodge) are celebrating the Summer Solstice by hosting a fundraiser on the MS Oldenburg on Friday 21st June 2019 from 7.45pm. We will leave Bideford Quay for a two hour sailing around the Taw Torridge estuary.
 

We have a brand new sound this year from The Smokey Mountain Boys who will be playing the toe-tapping Sounds of Bluegrass, and you are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy alongside a fully licensed bar.

 Summer Solstice Cruise in aid of the Northam Care Trust on the MS Oldenburg Friday 21st June 2019 Tickets cost £16 (adult)/£8 (child) and can be purchased directly from their website at www.northamcaretrust.co.uk.
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ABOUT NORTHAM CARE TRUST

The Northam Care Trust is a charity formed as Northam Lodge in 1978 and our mission is to support people with learning and physical disabilities in having choice and control in achieving the best possible quality of life, evidenced by real quality outcomes and supported by our passion for excellence. They are based in Northam and Bideford in North Devon and have developed person centred support for people with profound and multiple learning and other disabilities and complex needs in residential and day activities. Excellent communication, respect, dignity, engagement, support for carers and a set of values and behaviours underpin our work and add value with personalisation at the core. They are the only organisation in North Devon and North Cornwall providing this high care specialist service and are a vital resource for families and carers whose relatives live in our accommodation or use our community support facilities including the range of day activities we offer at Rose Hill. Tap here to find out more about the Northam Care Trust Past and Present

Going 'wild' is secret for happiness. Thousands take up challenge to go wild every day in June

The Wildlife Trusts' annual challenge – 30 Days Wild – calling on everyone to go wild every day in June starts this weekend. This year looks set to be bigger and wilder than ever. So far 50,000 people across the UK including nearly 2,000 in Devon have signed up to participate. The numbers are made up of individuals, families, schools, businesses and care home communities.

30 Days Wild encourages everyone to enjoy nature locally through daily Random Acts of Wildness: listening to bird song, gazing at butterflies, growing borage for bees and making the most of our parks, gardens and school grounds. Evidence shows that taking part can also make us happier and healthier.

The impact of taking part in 30 Days Wild has been tracked by academics at the University of Derby. Their study found that people who did something 'wild' each day for a month, felt happier, healthier and more connected to nature, with added benefits for the natural world too.*

Miles Richardson from the University of Derby said; "Our research looked at the impact of 30 Days Wild on 1,000 people, two months after completing the challenge. All those taking part benefitted, feeling 30% healthier than when they started on average. People who reported a disconnect from nature and who spend less time outdoors, showed the greatest improvement in happiness and pro-conservation behaviours."

"At a time when poor mental health is on the rise and the decline of our wildlife show no sign of slowing down, 30 Days Wild demonstrates what a much-needed new relationship with nature might look like, for everyone, throughout the year."

Supporting the 30 Days Wild challenge this year are:

Ellie Harrison, presenter of Countryfile and President of the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, said: "Being outside in nature makes us all well. The smallest moments connecting - the surprise of a beetle revealing its wings; the fleeting secrets of bats at dusk; or the puff of valuable pollen from flowers we saw as weeds - all bring us wonder and enchantment. This June we're challenging you to a Random Act of Wildness every single day of the month. What will you be delighted by?"

James McVey of rock band The Vamps said, "30 Days Wild is a fantastic challenge and everyone can take part - whether it's building a den, listening to the dawn chorus or visiting a favourite wild place, enjoying our wonderful wildlife can help us to feel happier and healthier, I'll be joining in this June!"

Dr Amir Khan from Channel 5's GPs behind closed doors said; "Spending time outdoors, enjoying wildlife on our doorstep and in our communities is free and can benefit our mental and physical health in so many ways. Spend a few moments every day in June taking part in random acts of wildness – notice something new in nature, climb a tree or create space for nature in your neighbourhood - The Wildlife Trusts has lots of ideas and inspiration to help you make the most of the 30 Days Wild challenge. Go Wild!"

Devon Wildlife Trust's Steve Hussey said: "30 Days Wild has become a much-loved challenge and it's set to be an exciting month for everyone taking part. This year in Devon we're staging a special 30 Days Wild celebration at Exeter's Mincinglake Valley Park on Sunday 16 June from 10.30am. It's free and gives everybody an opportunity to join us in discovering Exeter's wild secrets and to be inspired by nature."

People wanting to sign up to this year's 30 Days can do so at the Devon Wildlife Trust website www.devonwildlifetrust.org Signing up is FREE!

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHT. CLOVELLY SEAWEED FESTIVAL

Head Down Along Clovelly for the annual Seaweed Festival which promotes seaweed for its immense health & nutritional benefits. As it is hugely versatile, quay kitchens will have a surprising variety of dishes and stalls will be selling a range of seaweed products.

There will also be plenty of entertainment for both adults and children to enjoy, such as "Know your Seaweed" talks by Emma Gunn, craft activities and workshops, street entertainment and live music throughout the day. The Seaweed Health Foundation will provide information on the benefits of seaweed for food and health, Adam Reeve will be doing a seaweed demonstration and talk, who forages local seaweed.

You will be amazed at the world of seaweed. Bring your own and ask the experts what is the best use for your particular selection.

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Clovelly Seaweed Festival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xBuN9toQms

Admission charges include all entertainment.

Date: Sunday 26th May
Location: Clovelly Harbour
Time: 10 am to 5 pm
Contact: Tel: 01237 431781.

Stepping Out. Enjoy an intriquing performance walk along the unique Northam Burrows coastline with Red Herring.

Join Red Herring on a unique shared journey, a fun and intriguing performance walk, which reveals little known stories of our coastline and invites us to experience it in new ways.

Come and walk with us along the unique Northam Burrows coastline. This place may already be familiar to you, we’ll experience it together, in new and unfamiliar ways. You’ll be immersed in a journey of both travel and time: a monumental journey of the earth beneath our feet; the migratory routes of wintering birds; the marks left behind by boatbuilders and the footprints of life along this coastline.

Through snippets of text, recorded sound and found objects, we’ll investigate the stories attached to the land as we travel across it.

A circular walk, developed in partnership with Northam Burrows Country Park, will cover 2 – 3 miles over uneven ground. Please come prepared to walk this distance with suitable outdoor footwear and clothing. You will walk for about 1.5 hours with frequent stops and creative interludes along the way. We will provide light refreshments. Please note, performance duration and finish times may vary, depending on the walking pace of each group.

Red Herring will be running further Stepping Out events in September 2019, please join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates. Events will include a new Creative Coastal Walk as well as an Interactive Walkabout Performance and Sound Installation see below for details.

Stepping Out

Saturday June 8th and Sunday June 9th: 2.00 – 4.30 PM

Location: The walks will start and finish from The Skern end of Northam Burrows Country Park. Specific details on the meeting place will be provided after booking. Performances will start promptly, please arrive 15 minutes in advance to allow time to park and walk to the start. If you drive to the Burrows please be aware, unless you have a season ticket, there will be a £4 access fee.

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Cancellations: If weather conditions are unsafe, we will inform you of any cancellations by 10am on the morning of the performance. If, due to poor weather, a performance is cancelled we will endeavour to offer an alternative date.

Tickets are FREE, advanced booking is essential. 

• Unfortunately, as the walks take place over uneven ground, we aren’t able to accommodate wheelchairs or push chairs. 
• As we’ll be walking in a group, we also request that dogs stay at home. 
• Walks are suitable for young people aged 13+. 
• Numbers are limited to 20 on each walk.

Illustration from "A History of the Earth and Animated Nature" by Oliver Goldsmith  (Creative Commons)

Stepping Out is supported with funding from Arts Council England and the North Devon Coast AONB’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) which is funded by Defra. Stepping Out is part of a series of events celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the North Devon Coast AONB.

About Red Herring Productions CIC:

"We create playful and exciting outdoor theatre which brings diverse groups of people together to celebrate our shared heritage. These are performed on street corners, in parks and rural landscapes, with a fresh approach that blurs the edges between performers and audiences. We work with local communities, enabling them to learn about, share and celebrate their cultural heritage through talks, workshops and performance." Website - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

‘Dangerous’ fly-tipping creates problems for charity

A Devon-based charity has been left the costly and dangerous task of clearing up fly-tipping left by thoughtless vandals at one of its nature reserves.

 

A ‘substantial truck or van load’ of mixed rubbish was dumped recently at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Meresfelle nature reserve. The reserve is near Woolfardisworthy in North West Devon and is a haven for rare wildlife including the marsh fritillary butterfly.
 

The charity’s staff discovered what was described as a ‘mixed load’ of rubbish fly-tipped and blocking an entrance to the site. On closer inspection the items dumped included carrier bags, children’s toys, general household rubbish, concrete paving slabs, timber, an old fan heater and garden waste.
 

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Steve Hussey said:
“It’s always sad when people fly-tip at one our nature reserves. Most are in rural spots and represent easy targets for unthinking individuals who can’t be bothered or don’t want the expense of recycling and disposing of rubbish properly.
 

Clearing up after fly-tippers puts our staff at risk because you can never be sure what has been dumped. In the past we’ve discovered used medical equipment in amongst discarded materials.
 

It’s very expensive for our charity to deal with these incidents. We’d much rather be directing our people and resources to the job of helping Devon’s wildlife.”
 

Devon Wildlife Trust cares for 50 nature reserves in the county. Anyone with any information on the fly-tipped rubbish should call the charity or the police with information.

The fly-tipped rubbish recently found at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Meresfelle nature reserve

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Devon Wildlife Trust cares for 50 nature reserves in the county. Anyone with any information on the fly-tipped rubbish should call the charity or the police with information.

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Keep in touch with Devon Wildlife Trust

 Website: 

Twitter 

 Facebook

Wild days ahead in Devon. A leading South West charity is urging us all to go wild.

Sign up is now open for the Wildlife Trusts’ month-long national nature challenge. People can get their free packs at www.wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild and start planning their 30 Days Wild which starts on Saturday 1st June.
 

Last year 30 Days Wild was a record breaker with more than 2,500 people in Devon joining the 350,000 people across the UK who chose to embrace the challenge of experiencing nature every day during June.
 

People choosing to make the commitment this year are promised a rich array of resources to help them go wild. Participants receive a handy pocket-sized guide to 101 Random Acts of Wildness, a packet of wildflower seeds, a wall chart to make memories of their wild month, and wild-at-heart stickers to share with family and friends.
 

For the first time, the Wildlife Trusts have also produced a pack for care homes alongside packs for schools and businesses. Research has shown that providing contact with nature can help people to feel happier and healthier.
 

Steve Hussey for Devon Wildlife Trust, said:
“30 Days Wild is such a fun thing to do and everyone can get involved - make a daisy chain, start a list of wildlife you see in your garden, look for animal tracks or feel cool grass between your toes. You can sign up now to get your free pack of goodies, including stickers, wallchart and lots more Random Acts of Wildness to help you to plan your wild month. Get your family, friends, school, work place or care home involved too. We can’t wait to share in everybody’s wild adventures!”
 

Now in its fifth year, 30 Days Wild participants keep up to date and share the fun and activities across social media #30DaysWild.

#30DaysWild with Devon Wildlife Trust. Photo copyright Matthew Roberts (All Rights Reserved)

#30DaysWild with Devon Wildlife Trust. Photo copyright Nick Upton (All Rights Reserved)

Celebrate the Summer Solstice in aid of the Northam Care Trust aboard the MS Oldenburg

The Northam Care Trust (formerly Northam Lodge) are celebrating the Summer Solstice by hosting a fundraiser on the MS Oldenburg on Friday 21st June 2019 from 7.45pm. They will leave Bideford Quay for a two hour sailing around the Taw Torridge estuary.

They have a brand new sound this year from The Smokey Mountain Boys who will be playing the toe-tapping Sounds of Bluegrass, and you are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy alongside a fully licensed bar.

 Summer Solstice Cruise in aid of the Northam Care Trust on the MS Oldenburg Friday 21st June 2019 Tickets cost £16 (adult)/£8 (child) and can be purchased directly from their website at www.northamcaretrust.co.uk.
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ABOUT NORTHAM CARE TRUST

The Northam Care Trust is a charity formed as Northam Lodge in 1978 and our mission is to support people with learning and physical disabilities in having choice and control in achieving the best possible quality of life, evidenced by real quality outcomes and supported by our passion for excellence. They are based in Northam and Bideford in North Devon and have developed person centred support for people with profound and multiple learning and other disabilities and complex needs in residential and day activities. Excellent communication, respect, dignity, engagement, support for carers and a set of values and behaviours underpin our work and add value with personalisation at the core. They are the only organisation in North Devon and North Cornwall providing this high care specialist service and are a vital resource for families and carers whose relatives live in our accommodation or use our community support facilities including the range of day activities we offer at Rose Hill. Tap here to find out more about the Northam Care Trust Past and Present